GMO news

As Europe’s universities shut down their GMO programmes, one researcher is quitting the field, blaming public hostility to GM. But in Part 1 of a two-part series, Claire Robinson says the real reason may be very different.

"...no regulator on earth has subjected GMO golden rice to “safety testing”; neither have the developers carried out any meaningful tests. A very limited efficacy trial was carried out in which Chinese schoolchildren were fed golden rice to see if the beta-carotene it contained was converted efficiently to vitamin A. However, a controversy erupted when the researchers were found to have failed to obtain informed consent for the trial from the children’s families. As golden rice had never been toxicity tested in animals first, this was not just a red-tape omission, but was dangerous and irresponsible..."

Myth: The Séralini (2012) study was bad science and no conclusions can be drawn from it

Truth: The Séralini study is the most detailed and thorough study ever done on a GM food and its associated pesticide

A study published in 2012 found that a Monsanto GM Roundup-tolerant maize and very low levels of the Roundup herbicide it was engineered to be grown with caused severe organ damage and hormonal disruption in rats fed over a long-term period of two years. Unexpected additional observations were increased rates of large palpable tumours and premature death in some treatment groups.1

The study was carried out by a team led by Professor Gilles-Eric Séralini, based at the University of Caen, France.

Dr. Thierry Vrain, a former soil biologist and genetic scientist, worked for Agriculture Canada for 30 years. He was the designated spokesperson to assure the public of the safety of GMO crops. Since retiring 10 years ago, after taking into account scientific evidence ignored by most of the bio-tech industry promoters and government regulators, Dr. Vrain has reversed that position and now warns of the dangers from GMOs.

The most thoroughly toxicological feeding study with GMO-corn NK603 and the herbicide Roundup show that rats develop cancer and severe problems with kidney and liver. The results from this study which where published 19. september 2012 sent shockwaves through the GMO-industry, science communities and regulatory authorities around the world. Professor Gilles-Eric Seralini and his research team has been feeding rats with GMO-corn NK603 (both sprayed with the herbicide Roundup and not), as well as giving the rats only Roundup via their drinking water. The results from the study show that both GMO and Roundup can be highly dangerous for the health.

Excerpts: "For whatever reason, dead and deformed piglets are a problem in all pig farming situations where GM soy is used in the diet. Mr Pedersen is convinced that this is connected to the residues of glyphosate that are allowed in feed within the EU

Scientists have now shown that the toxins produced by Bt proteins can be detrimental to human cells. The GMO industry has for years claimed that these toxins should not be harmful for animals and humans.

You might wonder what relation there is between this indian woman and the toxic genetically modified eggplant (Bt Brinjal), which where intended as food for the indian population. The orange symbol on this womans left cheek is not a tattoo. It's the international symbol for biohazard. Had it not been for independent science then a large number of people in India would probably been eating toxic eggplant for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

The Institute for Responsible Technology has published a report describing the various health risks of GM foods. Whether you are for or against the use of GMO, I recommend that you take a look at it. Here we give you the headlines, and the link to the full report: The FDA's "Non-Regulation" of GM FoodsThe FDA covers up health risksGMOs are inherently unsafeGM diet shows toxic reactions in the digestive tractGM diets cause liver damageGM fed animals had higher death rates and organ damageReproductive failures and infant mortalityFarmers Report livestock sterility and deathsGM crops trigger immune reactions and may cause allergiesBt-toxin, produced in GM corn and cotton, may cause allergies

The danish newspaper Jyllands-posten, reported January 24. 2011 that alarming quantities of Roundup and other toxic chemicals, have been detected in the danish groundwater. The manufacturer of the herbicide Roundup once claimed (according to the article in Jyllands-posten) that this poision would never end up in the groundwater. That is excactly what has happened. Here is a statement from Carl-Emil Larsen, the director of the Danish Water and Wastwater Association (DANVA): "We can not continue to deliver clean, untreated drinking water, unless we do something about the consumption of pesticides".

Masters in Animal Breeding and Genetics (University of California), Sagari R. Ramdas, also a trained veterinarian has written a very worrying letter to the Ministry of Environment and Forests in New Delhi, regarding strong indications that Bt cotton are linked to deaths and sickness of animals in India. Studies and field observations in Andhra Pradesh and other states in India show that sheep, goats, cattle and buffalo populations exhibit morbidity and mortality after continuous and cumulative exposure to Bt Cotton (leaves, bolls, seeds, seed-cake). Similar observations have now been done over several successive years, with the first reports occurring in 2004-2005, about 2 years after the commercial release of Bt cotton in India.

When genetically modified organisms ment for use in agriculture, originally where allowed in the U.S., that decision was a political one and not based on long term independent studies to see if such organisms did pose a threat to the biodiversity and our health. Now, allmost 20 years after the first GMO crops where used in agriculture, and after GMOs have been used in many countries and in different crops, we should have more than enough data supporting those that initially tried to warn against the use of GMO outside closed laboratories.

According to Marie-Monique Robin, the author of the book "The World According To Monsanto", Monsanto's advertising once claimed: "Glyphosate is less toxic to rats than table salt following acute oral ingestion" (more examples of Monsanto's advertising practices can be found here and here: Attorney General of the State of New York. Consumer Frauds and Protection Bureau). Some people living close to genetically modified crops in Argentina and some brave scientists do not agree to Monsanto's allegation. New scientific findings indicate that Roundup, one of the world's most used herbicide, may cause severe damage to embryos.

Viewers, unfamiliar to GMO (Genetically Modified Organisms), may probably belive all the positive allegations put forward by Jimmy Doherty. But people that has bothered to read unbiased information about the facts about GMO, will quickly understand that several of the allegations put forward in this documentary is not backed up by independent science.

Today I found an interesting document on the Alliance for Bio-Integrity website. The document start with these words: "The food safety laws of the United States and the European Union are supposed to implement the precautionary principle. But in the case of genetically modified foods, officials on both sides of the Atlantic have systematically disregarded and defiled it".

GM-trees (genetically modified trees) are now being pushed out into the environment by the biotech industry. They claim that these trees have such and such benefits when compared to traditional trees. What they do not speak much about though, is that this is a monoculture which is just another huge threat to biodiversity.

Some GM-trees produce poison trough their whole life, some depend on intensive spraying of herbicides. None of this will benefit wildlife.

Did you know that september 21st this year was the international day against tree monocultures.

Some of you readers might know that the use of most GMO in agriculture result in genetic pollution. GM-crops and conventional crops cannot coexist simply because the GM-crops will over time crosspollinate with the conventional crops.

So have the GMO-producers managed to develop seeds which destroy biodiversity even more?Say hello to TERMINATOR seeds.

Norway has a long experience with genetic pollution. Our fishfarm industry is the reason why houndreds of thousands (if not millions) of farmed salmon has escaped. These farmed salmon then swim up our rivers and mix their eggs and semen with the wild salmon. February 2010, Kurt W. Oddekalv, the leader of the Green Warriors, exposed another dark side of the fishfarm industry. Say hello to the parrot cod. These farmed cod got their nickname after thousands of farmed cod had escaped a fishfarm in the fjord of Trondheim. Many of these farmed cod's had deformed head and mouth. The name frankenstein fish would have been even more descriptive. These frankenfish are able to mate with the wild cod, thereby causing an ecological disaster.

In Norway we currrently does not generally allow GMO in food. But to make it simpler for food imports it is allowed with up to 0.9% of GMO in the food. The weird thing though is that the fishfarm industry has gotten a permission to use GMO in the feed. So the fishfarm industry currently have permission to use 19 different GMOs in their feed. It is incredibly irresponsible of the Norwegian authorities that they have given the fishfarm industry this kind of permission. It can be looked upon as a way to silently allow more and more GMOs into the Norwegian market.

GMO is not forbidden by law in Norway, but before any GMO-product is allowed in food or feed it has to be approved.

Monsanto and the other GMO-producers, as well as many scientists and politicians have for many years now tried to convince us that the use of GMO in agriculture will solve the world's alleged food crisis, and that they are able to develop new traits for different kind of crops which will benefit the world population.

What these GMO-producers does not tell you, is that GM-crops cannot coexist with conventional crops.